Fall of Flavor

The fall is without a doubt my favorite season, my birthday, Halloween and Thanksgiving, 3 of the best days of the year happen in the fall.  I love watching the leaves change color and the beginning of the school year ( yes, I know school starts in the season of summer) and the cooler autumn temperatures, especially at night.  Most of all I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the flavors of fall.

Starting with apple picking, it has become a tradition and ends with the most delicious apple cider donuts, yum.  The I have fresh apples in my house that are just begging to be baked into pies, cakes and other yummy treats.  Apples are followed by pumpkins.  I love pumpkin spice everything from coffee to scones.  Yes, the various coffee places have yummy delights but I will take my K-cup and homemade scone any day.  Let us not forget pumpkin chocolate chip muffins and pumpkin bread.  This year I will be trying a recipe for a pasta with a pumpkin sauce.  Along with pumpkins I enjoy butternut squash, roasted with maple syrup or in a soup with apples, but my favorite is a gratin with leeks, mmm Thanksgiving.  Pumpkins are followed by cranberries, not just for cranberry sauce.  Cranberry nut bread and this year cranberry upside down cakes, oh boy.  And before the autumn ends we get a taste of gingerbread.  Maybe I love it cause it has some similar flavors as pumpkin spice, I don’t know but I do.  Gingerbread cookies or a gingerbread house complete my definition of the holidays, I love that crispy, spicy cookie with the sweet royal icing.   I better hide the bathroom scale, at least until New Year’s.